Crimson Beast of Destruction
by MaelstromBankai
Summary: The Great War is over; each Faction began to recover, move past their losses and adapt to the new situation. As time passed, the terrors experienced faded to mere myths, legends that the new generation never believed. When a young girl discovers the greatest legend of the War, the world will soon remember the power of the Progenitor...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Highschool DxD and any other anime or manga references you guys find in this fanfic. Enough said.**

**Prologue: The Call**

She was scared.

Her little feet ran as fast as they could, their speed increased by the terror she felt and the adrenaline pumping through her body. They barreled her through the various hedges that obstructed her path, leapt over gnarly roots that would have tripped her badly and continued to move as she heard the danger get closer.

Her pretty blue dress was all ruined, with rips and tears decorating the clothing until it resembled rags and dirt, leaves and other materials adding to the mess of her appearance. She had discarded her shoes earlier before, noting that the noise they made as she dashed away clued her pursuers to the direction she took. Despite the fact that she had sacrificed protection and comfort from the hard ground, she doggedly continued with her escape. Her wide blue-green eyes were constantly darting about, seeking the nearest hiding place for her to hide as well as keeping a look out for the pursuers.

As she spied a cave up ahead, a loud cry of triumph was heard from above. Briefly stopping to look upwards, the girl cried out in horror as she caught sight of them. The first and only thing she noticed was their wings; the first one, a male, had large bat-like wings whilst the other, also a male, had eagle-like wings of fire. Her heart stopped as the one with the flaming wings stretched his hand out, a steadily growing fireball glowing within the palm of his hand.

She flung herself towards the cave entrance, her heart pumping louder and louder as she heard the rush of winds signifying the other one's dive. Within her head, she knew she wouldn't make it; her pursuers were all adults, far stronger and faster than her five-year old self, and experienced in combat as well as spell-weaving and tracking. The odds were so much against her favor that the only plausible reason she had survived this long was because her pursuers had a twisted sense of humor and perverse pleasure from watching her trying to fight against her eventual demise.

So, when the tight ropes of magic bound her body and sent her tumbling to the ground in an undignified heap, the girl wasn't as surprised as she should be. When her rolling finally came to a stop, she began to struggle against the bindings in vain; she pulled, twisted, stretched and tried everything she could to escape but the bonds remained strong.

The sound of the man's laughter stopped her attempts, her eyes snapping to him in shock. "Sorry Gremory-san, this spell is one I made specifically for you." The man said, his tone light and amicable despite the fact that he was about to kill her. "After all, you are Sirzechs' closest precious thing so I spent a lot of time working on that particular spell." The man had the appearance of a tall, handsome male adult with black hair, red eyes, and pale skin that had a grayish tint to it. He was dressed in an outfit that consisted of black trousers, a six button double-breasted tailcoat and a grey vest.

"Sebastian Michaelis…" the girl growled, trying not to let the fear she felt show on her face.

Sebastian smiled coldly at the girl. "Yes, that is my name. Now that its actually about to happen, I must confess that I'm a little disappointed." His hand grabbed a lock of her crimson hair, gently twirling it around in fascination. "You would've been a fine morsel had your brother not managed to anger my master; with Venelana-san as your mother, I wish I had the opportunity to at least see the type of woman you could've turned out to be."

He sighed and stood up, turning away from the glaring girl and gazing towards his partner. The fireball had grown to gargantuan size, easily resembling a small meteorite and containing enough power to ensure that the explosion would simulate the same effects as one. Flying back towards his fellow Bishop, he nodded in confirmation. "Do it."

His partner grinned wickedly and fired the attack, the hot flames speeding towards the defenseless girl with a pace that belied its size.

The girl struggled desperately, her eyes tearing up as the flame crept closer each second. 'Somebody please help me! I don't want to die!' Screwing her eyes shut tightly, the girl waited for the flames to hit her body, the assault of pain she would experience and her eventual death.

…And waited.

…and waited.

…where was the pain?

Hesitatingly, she slowly opened her eyes and was faced with a phenomenon she couldn't explain; everything had stopped. The leaves that were falling stayed suspended in the air, the flaming ball above remained in its position and even the dust in the air was stationary.

And then she saw him; standing right before her like some otherworldly being, a young boy stared down at her with curious looking eyes. He had long spiky shoulder-length crimson hair, with bangs that were so long that they covered most of his right eye. He wore a black gi over a red undershirt, secured by a navy blue sash. Red wristbands were wrapped around his wrists and he had black shoes to complete the look.

The two stared at each other, silently taking in the sight of the other, before the boy spoke. "Are you the one who called me?"

The girl blinked in confusion at his words. The boy cocked an eyebrow as he stared at her. "Are you the one who called out to me?" He questioned once more.

Deciding that she might as well say yes, since she did call out for anyone to help her earlier, she slowly nodded. "Y-Yes, I called you."

A terrifying smile broke out on his face and he seemed to loom over the girl. "My, my, my…only five years old and yet you were able to call out to me, the being your world fears the most? No matter how I look at it, that is indeed impressive." His strange eyes glowed with inhuman fire and the symbols on them began to rotate slowly. "And what is it that you desire?"

She gulped, her throat suddenly dry. "To be safe and free."

The boy chuckled. "Such a naïve desire…but, then again, you are just a child." He leaned closer to her, gently cupping her cheeks and causing a light flush to appear. "Very well…Rias Gremory, how would you like to sign a contract?"

**A/N: The prologue may seem 'strange' but will be made clear as the story progresses. This is a story born from an idea I had, with Rias being a human who stumbles upon something supernatural and eventually signing a contract with Naruto, the Devil. It was originally supposed to closely resemble Black Butler, but my muse decided to change that, as you can see.**

**Naruto's comment about being the world's fear is nothing grandiose or arrogant; when I reveal his true standing in the power charts, you'll see why every being refers to him as that. Oh, and this Naruto was born with an active Sharingan; that's right, he is a son of an Uchiha and an Uzumaki.**

**The pairing…is a harem. I just can't wrap myself around the idea of a crossover fic with Highschool DxD having a single pairing. So, the harem currently has Rias, Serefall, Kuroka, Akeno and Koneko in it. I might add or take out members, so any suggestions would be nice.**

**MaelstromBankai.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Highschool DxD and any other anime, manga or elements that may or may not appear in this fanfic. **

**Chapter 1: Her Guardian, Protector, Friend**

The Underworld was a place with many contrasting descriptions; in Christianity, it is often described as a place where the souls of the damned suffered the consequences of their sins eternally. Most Christians portray the Underworld, or Hell, as a land of fire and brimstone, usually with vivid imagery. According to Greek mythology, the Underworld was described as misty and gloomy abode of the dead (also called Erebus), where all mortals go. Later Greek philosophy introduced the idea that all mortals are judged after death and are either rewarded or cursed. Very few mortals could leave his realm once they entered: the exceptions, Heracles, Theseus, are heroic. Even Odysseus in his _Nekyia_ (_Odyssey_, xi) calls up the spirits of the departed, rather than descend to them. There were several sections of the realm of Hades, including Elysium, the Asphodel Meadows, and Tartarus. Greek mythographers were not perfectly consistent about the geography of the afterlife. A contrasting myth of the afterlife concerns the Garden of the Hesperides, often identified with the Isles of the Blessed, where the blessed heroes may dwell.

Shinto mythology also had its own interpretation of the land of the dead; Yomi, the place where the dead go to dwell and apparently rot indefinitely. Once one has eaten at the hearth of Yomi it is impossible to return to the land of the living.

However, the Underworld itself wasn't quite as different from the earth as most people believed. It was roughly the same size as the human world, though it didn't have any large water bodies like seas and oceans. It was split into two regions; the Devil's Region and the Fallen Angel's Region, with the Devil's Region being the larger of the two though that difference was only marginally greater. To add to the relatively small list of differences, it had a purple sky that remained that colour throughout the day and night, making it confusing for newcomers to differentiate between the two time periods.

However, our concern is not strictly with the Underworld. No, our interest lies somewhere within the confines of the Gremory Castle.

Within the grand castle, two men were pacing within the confines of one of the many rooms of the castle as two women watched them carefully. The first man, the older one, was a middle-aged looking individual with crimson red hair that was the same shade as the other pacing male. He had a well trimmed goatee that somewhat resembled a crescent moon and his hair reached the middle of his back. He wore a well-cared for white suit and his face, which usually had a kind and easygoing look to it, was etched into a disturbed frown. With his hands stuck in his pockets and a generally unnerving feeling wafting off him, he looked every bit like a man about to lose it.

The second male pacing around the room could only be the elder man's son; with the same crimson hair, blue-green eyes and skin complexion of his mother, the youth was a handsome and youthful male. He had the appearance of a 17 year old teenager, and wore a ceremonial cloak outfitted with shoulder guards that resembled phoenix wings as well as a white and blue shirt and pants. Like his father, the youth's eyes were stony and chilling as he moved about. "To think that bastard actually went this far…no matter how I look at it, the situation can only be resolved by a show of force." He muttered.

His father's expression tightened as he passed by his son. "Sirzechs, are you sure that Phantomhive is responsible for her disappearance?"

Sirzechs scowled further as his pace quickened slightly. "All the evidence points towards him being the culprit; firstly, his business with the Old Satan Faction has virtually died and I was one of the more outspoken Satans who denied him permission to continue associating with them. Secondly, I've been having far more visits from him and his Bishop," His eyes narrowed as he recalled that particular person's ability, "And they've attempted various ways to change my mind. Just last week, Grayfia discovered traces of crystallized Light Shards within my meals and in my most recent meeting with Sebastian Michaelis, he made a comment about little Rias that makes me suspect Phantomhive's involvement in this."

Lord Gremory paused and turned to properly face his son. "Is there anyone else who could possibly benefit from threatening you through Rias?" He asked gravely.

Sirzechs' eyes narrowed in thought, his hands unconsciously stroking his chin in contemplation. "There are others who would indeed stoop to such lengths, but that would require them to abandon their current locations, something that I highly doubt they would do…and even if they were responsible, they wouldn't be satisfied unless they left a clue to let me know that _they_ did it."

One of the women stepped forwards, a serious expression on her face. She was a beautiful woman, who appeared to be in her late teen years, with silver eye-catching hair and matching eyes. Her hair, which flowed all the way down to her back, featured a long braid on each side with small red bows at the ends, while the rest was let down, ending in twin braids. She was wearing a blue and white French maid outfit with long sleeves and a white maid headband over her head, with red lipstick as a cosmetic accessory. "Sirzechs-sama, perhaps it would be best to investigate further with those you have in mind; for all we know, this could be a collaborate attack upon you by all who oppose you. If Phantomhive takes the fall, the other groups would remain under the radar and could possibly attempt another attack through Rias."

Sirzechs nodded, an answer already popping into his mind. "Very well. Grayfia, I want you to send a message to Ajuka. Tell him that I have a need for his assistant."

Grayfia blanched, her appearance looking somewhat surprised. "Ah…are you sure she would be the best for the job?" Her tone was curious yet wary of the person he had in mind, and Sirzechs couldn't fault her for that particular line of thought. When he first met the strange and unknown apprentice of his long-time friend and rival, it swiftly degenerated to a fight instigated by her. Within minutes, Ajuka's manor resembled ruins that one would find belonging to an ancient civilization. After finally managing to stop her via a combination of seals and force, she revealed that her attack was to test his worth as the newest Lucifer since his attitude was that of a child.

Sirzechs banished those memories from the center of his mind, opting to nod resolutely. "Yes, I'm sure that Ajuka wouldn't mind letting me have her for a few days. In case he has something lined up, please request we borrow her for a week." It wouldn't take a week for that particular girl to finish her task, but he didn't want to chance something like this; her strange eyes may grant her powers that even Ajuka couldn't believe, but complications could arise and slow down her interrogations.

Nodding, Grayfia wordlessly summoned a magic circle and teleported towards the manor of Ajuka Beezlebub, another member of the Four Satans.

Lord Gremory clenched his hand into a fist. "Sebastian Michaelis…the famed practitioner of the mental arts, known to many as 'The Phantom'. I now see why you decided to send out Souji-san and McGregor alone; those two would be able to defeat him without too much trouble."

His son nodded once again, his eyes still swirling with anger. "Still, their battle won't be as quick as you might think, Otou-san. Sebastian Michaelis is a Bishop who has an impressive collection of experience in casting, unraveling and creating spells of varying types. True, his foremost weapons are his mind arts, but those aren't the only skills he has in his bag."

The remaining woman, who had kept herself out of the conversation, looked out of the windows towards the vast expanse of land that belonged to the Gremory Clan stoically. She was undeniably Lord Gremory's wife; standing just a head shorter than her husband, the woman nonetheless had a regal, almost noble air about her. Her mid-length brunette hair and eyes that were a startling shade of blue-green gave her a sensuous appeal which often turned the heads of many men and women. A single hair strand stuck out from the top of her head, with loose bangs covering her forehead and side bangs framing her face. Her buxom figure was clothed in simple casual clothing, namely a modest-length skirt and simple blouse.

Her eyes narrowed as she absently gripped the bracelet she wore on her right arm. _'If only he wasn't away at this time…'_ Venelana Gremory tightened her hands in frustration. _'Please, come back safe Musume.'_

**-Unknown Location-**

"Such a naïve desire…but, then again, you are just a child." He leaned closer to her, gently cupping her cheeks and causing a light flush to appear. "Very well…Rias Gremory, how would you like to sign a contract?"

Rias stared warily at the boy crouching to look closely at her, her mind somewhat frazzled and nowhere near its optimum capacity. What he had just asked her was something so foreign and unheard of in her opinion; he had just asked her, a Devil, to sign a contract with him! Whilst he was indeed strange and wielded the power to stop time, something she was still struggling to understand, he didn't _feel_ like any Devil she had encountered.

Devils, much like every other race, had an attribute that distinguished them from others; they emanated a very specific energy frequency that made it easier to identify each other. For example, one Devil would always 'feel' another within a specific range, one which was subjective to whoever was 'feeling out' the other. Of course, there were instances where this special energy could not be picked up but the reason for that was the difference in power. Rias had once felt the potency of her brother's power once and she had found herself almost overwhelmed by it. Sona Sitri, her friend, was only a shade weaker than Rias and even Serefall Leviathan's power could be identified and measured as that of an Ultimate-Class Devil.

This boy, however…she couldn't sense anything from him. It was vexing, as well as frightening for Rias' senses to pick up _absolutely nothing_ about the boy's power. It was like he was bereft of any ounce of power within him!

"W-What?" She nearly flinched at the sight of his eyes slowly rotating. The more rational side of her took over, prompting her to question him. "What do you mean, form a contract? Aren't you a Devil…or are you a Magician?" She demanded, trying hard not to get distracted by the hypnotizing spinning of the strange symbols in his eyes.

The boy cocked his head to the side like a dog, looking at her like she had just performed an amusing trick. "No, I'm not a Devil…certainly not a Magician as well. To be likened to either of them gives me a very unpleasant feeling. Of course, it does speak of your knowledge regarding contracts." Rising to his feet, the boy grabbed Rias by her midriff and easily lifted her from the ground and unto her feet. "As for what I am," he grabbed the rope-like stream of magic energy and coiled it around his finger. Leaning close to Rias, he continued. "I suppose you could call me a dragon."

Pulling sharply on the spell, there was a brief moment of resistance before it shattered with a loud crash. Like shattered glass, the spell's destruction resounded throughout the area. Wiping the dust and other materials that had gathered upon her form, Rias still felt her shock at the boy's actions coursing through her. _'He unraveled that spell so quickly…and with just a flick of a finger! Then again, he did say he was a dragon…' _

Now that she could think about her situation clearly, Rias realized that the only way she could get out of this alive would be to do as he had suggested and signed a contract with him. Looking up at him with serious eyes, Rias gave the boy a deep bow. "Thank you for saving my life, stranger-san. Before I sign a contract with you, can I please ask some questions?"

The boy nodded, his amused look still present. "Go ahead, we've got all the time in the world for you to decide what the terms will be." Flicking his fingers upwards, a tree root suddenly erupted from the ground, causing Rias to yelp in surprise and take a step back. Before her very eyes, at a speed that was nigh impossible, the root had split into three different pieces as it kept growing until two wooden chairs and a table appeared. The boy easily sat on one of the wooden chairs, placing his feet squarely on the wooden table. Catching her wide-eyed stare at the unprecedented event, he quirked a brow and silently gestured to the second chair. When she scurried over to sit down, he spoke once again. "By the way, my name is Uchiha Naruto."

After gingerly sitting down on the wooden chair and deeming it safe, Rias nervously clasped her hands together and nodded. "Hai, Naruto-san. First of all, why are you offering a contract for me to sign?"

Any and all traces of amusement disappeared from Naruto's face and he quickly shifted into a more serious sitting position. "Before I answer your question, I must inform you that there are some secrets I cannot reveal; my past actions and background will be shared at my discretion and the secrets of others will be locked tightly unless you have their permission." Seeing her frown, he crossed his arms and leaned back slightly into his chair. "You may dislike it, but such information in the wrong hands could lead to changes in the running of this world. Despite my lack of interest in the affairs of this world, the thought of the inhabitants going about wrecking the place because they managed to overhear something that is not meant to be heard leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

She was still scowling petulantly, but Naruto could see the understanding light within her eyes. _'Well, at least she isn't like most children her age; at the very least, she's going to be much easier to deal with than a certain number of idiots I know'_, he thought wryly. "Now that I've cleared that up, let me answer your question." He stretched his hand out, like he was going to grab a glass or something, when the space in front of his palm spiraled quickly and formed a dimensional vortex within a second, with the tear in space showing nothing but an inky black hole. Sticking his hand through the inky depths of the dimensional rip, Naruto quickly extracted a large bottle of sake, a glass and bottle of Coca-Cola. "The primary reason why I'm even bothering with this contract business is because your desire to live called out to me."

Grabbing the bottle cap sealing the drink, he easily unscrewed it and poured about half of the drink into the glass as he was watched by a bemused Rias. Placing the glass right in front of her, he sat back and took in a gulp of sake straight from the bottle. As the young Gremory heir looked at him strangely, he rolled his eyes and gestured at her to drink up. "Don't look at me like I started behaving like a monkey. When you're old enough to kill people, regardless of their strength, you're old enough to drink from the big leagues."

Quietly sipping her coke, Rias mulled over his answer for a while. "What do you mean by 'my desire to live called out to you'?"

Naruto took in another gulp of sake before he answered that one. "Just as you Devils are summoned by humans according to their desires. In that moment, you wished for someone to save you from your death. That cry for help came to me, and I left in search of the one who managed to do that." He leveled his eyes right at her, his gaze stealing all her attention. "To manage to catch my attention, especially when I am otherwise occupied, is a very impressive feat. Now that you've caught my interest, I simply cannot let you just _**go**_ like that." Of course, there were other reasons as to why he was going through with this, but now was not the time for her to know of such information.

Rias sipped a little more of her coke before moving on to the next question. "Why am I the one to determine the terms of the contract? I mean, what if I phrase the terms in such a way that only I receive the benefits of it?"

Naruto shrugged. "Like I said before, once something catches my attention I can't let it go. Also, the fact that you are a Gremory makes me much more at ease with dumping the terms on you. However, there are four conditions I have regarding the terms."

Rias slowly nodded, prompting him to name said conditions. "First off, I refuse to be the solution to all your problems. I will help you, I will guide you and, when the task you wish to undertake is clearly above your limits, I will undertake that problem but I refuse to be your crutch." Seeing her nod quickly, he foraged on. "The second condition is that every secret I share with you must be withheld from others unless I give them permission or deem it necessary for them to know. Third condition," here a predatory smile crept upon his face, revealing very sharp fangs. "I get to deal with all your enemies as I see fit."

He openly laughed at her suddenly still form, her wide eyes trained on him. "Oh, don't worry about it. I won't always kill them, you know." He assured her, taking in another swig of sake. Letting the drink slide down his throat, he tipped his head back as the liquid travelled down his esophagus. "After all, there are worse things than death. And that leads me to my final condition."

"What would that be?" Rias asked, wondering if she had gotten involved with something way over her head. That last bit he said had, for a brief moment, terrified her. After all, she was technically still in that situation; she had been kidnapped for the sole purpose of breaking her brother and making him suffer. If whoever it was behind this was successful, death would only be a release for her family.

"The final condition is that I will be free to do whatever it takes to protect you and anyone else you wish to include in that list." Naruto said as he stood up. Tossing the now empty bottles away into the vegetation, he crossed his arms and awaited her response. "So, Rias Gremory, what are your terms?"

Rias tipped her head down as she thought over what he had said, what she herself wanted and what her parents had told her two days ago. From what she understood, Naruto was interested in her because of something she had unintentionally done…as well as some other reasons that he didn't share with her. The fact that he was letting her decide upon the terms of the contract because she was a Gremory implied that he had dealt with members of her Clan before. The four conditions he had given her weren't too much of a hassle; so long as she gave him clear, concise instructions on what to do there wouldn't be any bloodshed.

However, as she thought more about it, the more doubtful she became. How far would she be able to influence him? How far could she take this? The questions kept piling up within her mind and she almost burst out in an exasperated cry when an idea materialized.

"Naruto-san…would this contract make you a member of my Peerage?" She asked, her mind already expanding upon the idea she had in mind.

Naruto burst her bubble of hope with a shake of his head. "No, not according to the definition of a Peerage member is. I could be counted as one, if you can manage to twist the story well enough."

Rias sighed once before she rose to her feet. "Then, Naruto-san, my term is that you serve me as a friend and guardian."

He smiled darkly. "As you command, my mistress." Black flames danced around his fingers as he turned to face her. "And now to finalize the contract." Faster than she could react, moving with the speed of a striking cobra, his flame-coated hand zipped out and grabbed her wrist. Holding tightly unto her even as she reflexively backpedalled, Naruto watched with satisfaction as the flames coagulated and morphed into a bracelet.

Feeling him release her, Rias stumbled back in surprise as she stared at the artifact. It was pure black in colour, almost invisible in the night. It was very simple in design; black chains that were held together by a small moon. However, the design of the moon made her pause; it was blood-red, with four concentric circles and nine tomoe in the three circles closest to the pupil.

"It's pretty," Rias said as she admired the new addition.

Naruto cleared his throat, catching her attention. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go deal with those two flying in the sky. If you want to watch, then I'd recommend that you stay close to me." Turning to face the frozen fireball that Rias had somehow completely forgotten about, Naruto looked ready to attack.

"Ah! Wait!" Rias cried before quickly running over to his side. Making sure to stay behind him yet remain as close as possible, she gave him a nod. "Ready!"

There was no warning to the collapse of Naruto's time stopping technique; one second, everything was in place, the next, the fireball spell was right on top of them. As it drew nearer, Naruto raised his hand like he was about to pet a dog and pointed at it.

The flames dissipated. They didn't explode or impact or anything. They merely ceased to exist. The fireball was snuffed out like a candle. The two men flying in the sky looked surprised, shocked even, that the spell just vanished like that. Naruto glanced at them, determined that the one in the butler uniform was the bigger threat and sprung into action.

Sebastian saw something white flash before the left side of his face was overwhelmed by blinding pain. A scream tore out from his mouth as he grabbed the injured side of his face, his mind frantically trying to understand what had just happened.

Suddenly, his body was restrained by numerous chains. Forcing his good eye open, he found himself staring at the strangest pair of eyes he had ever seen. Shock and horror filled his being as he saw the redhead boy smirk at him. It couldn't be! He was supposed to have been a myth! "Sleep. It saves me the trouble of keeping you silent on the way back for interrogation."

The last thing he thought before the fist sent him deep into the darkness was that he had been bested by someone who wasn't supposed to be alive, the greatest of the Lost Legends.

**A/N: Alright, the first chapter is done. The end might confuse some of you, but it is told from Sebastian's point of view so you only got a little amount of details from that. Next chapter will have the fight as seen from Rias' eyes, some confrontations and a little time-skip.**

**Now, since it's going to be shown pretty much in the next chapter, I don't mind telling you one of the ways Naruto plans to protect Rias; assimilation of various, NECESSARY abilities. This idea came to me when I was watching Inuyasha: The Final Act; Naraku had his heart, the Infant, released in a pretty much useless body so that the child would be forced to build the best ever fortress it could ever do to protect itself. For example, Rias will be getting the Phenex regeneration ability ONLY so that Naruto wouldn't have to worry about her dying when she instructs him to do something else. The regeneration won't use flames of any sort; just think of how Ichigo repairs his Hollow mask and you'll have a pretty good image of Rias' regeneration in action.**

**Naruto has other reasons besides an interest in Rias for going through this whole contract business. He is also not exactly a Peerage Member; since he wasn't revived by the Evil Pieces, he won't be seen as a Peerage member by some Devils. Also note that Rias isn't the only one to get a Lost Legend partner/servant: Ajuka has one and Sona will have Naruto's rival.**

**Now, people have been clamoring for me to add Sona to the harem. I've been thinking about it, currently leaning towards 'yes', but it'll be officially stated by the next chapter.**

**Read and review,**

**MaelstromBankai.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything…not now, and most likely not ever.**

**Chapter 2: Along Came a Sadist-Part 1**

There was no warning to the collapse of Naruto's time stopping technique; one second, everything was in place, the next, the fireball spell was right on top of the two children. As it drew nearer, Naruto raised his hand like he was about to pet a dog and pointed at it.

The flames dissipated. They didn't explode or impact or anything. They merely ceased to exist. The fireball was snuffed out like a candle. The two men flying in the sky looked surprised, shocked even, that the spell just vanished like that. Naruto glanced at them, determined that the one in the butler uniform was the bigger threat and sprung into action.

Quickly jutting his elbow out like it was a gun, the redhead aimed towards the butler and something burst out from his limb towards the flying man. The action was so quick that all Rias managed to see was the flash of a white projectile shooting towards the direction of the men before Sebastian began screaming bloody murder. From her precarious position behind Naruto, Rias lifted her head slightly to see what had happened to the man who had bound her with his spell. Her eyes widened in shock as her eyes discovered the cause of his distress.

Sticking out of the left side of his face, embedded right in his left eye, was a bone. To be more precise, it was the humerus bone...albeit a very strange one. A normal humerus bone was a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. Anatomically, it connects the scapula and the lower arm (consisting of the radius and ulna), and consists of three sections. The upper extremity consists of a rounded head, a narrow neck, and two short processes (tubercles, sometimes called tuberosities.) Its body is cylindrical in its upper portion, and more prismatic below.

From what she could see of the bone, the lower extremity of the bone was sharpened to an extremely deadly degree, which was probably why the bone had managed to pierce through the flesh and cranium of Sebastian.

Her observations ceased when Naruto abruptly disappeared, vanishing from sight in a gust of wind. Eyes widening yet again, the young girl began to wildly look about for the young boy. A startled cry by the Phenex accompanying Sebastian prompted her to look just in time to see the Devil disappear into a swirling vortex, with Naruto standing in mid-air approximately an inch away from the Phenex's former position.

Clapping his hands together into a strange hand sign, a multitude of golden chains erupted from Naruto's chest and surged towards the incapacitated Bishop. Wrapping around Sebastian in a dance of weaving links, the man was quickly bound and helpless as Rias had been before. As she watched Naruto say something to him before decking Sebastian in the face, a curious feeling gripped her.

Watching him easily tear through the two of them like their roles were reversed, the little Devil had felt something strange make itself known in her chest. If she were to describe it, the best example she could come up with was of owning her own Dragon…one that snapped at every person who ventured near it except her. It was a strange feeling, especially when a part of her knew that she would have to be careful when dealing with him.

As the butler slipped into blissful unconsciousness, Naruto willed one of the chain loops to loosen up and grabbed that linkage tightly. Slowly descending towards the ground, the redhead frowned thoughtfully as his blessed eyes landed once more upon the Gremory girl he had just bound himself to. _'No matter how I look at it, it just doesn't seem possible that a mere five year old would be able to call upon one such as I…despite what I told her, the fact remains that someone of a much higher power was responsible for this occurring.'_ Landing upon the ground perfectly, he shelved such thoughts for another time. _'Could it be that she is a source of changing times?_' He mused silently as he proceeded to drag his captive over to Rias' position.

As he neared his newest, and probably last partner, he was slightly amused to see the mixture of wonder and wariness in her expression. "Don't worry about this one," he gestured to Sebastian, who still had the gruesome wound on his face. "I'm keeping him alive so that I can get an idea of who organized this little kidnapping and why."

Rias squirmed as Naruto casually showed her the wound he had caused, as though it was something normal for him. 'Though, for all I know, that could be the case,' she thought grimly. Brushing herself to get rid of the dust that had settled upon her form, Rias then remembered that she hadn't thanked him for saving her. "Ano, thank you for saving me once again." She bowed slightly, conveying her thanks to him once again.

Naruto shook his head in amusement. _'Such a polite, cute kid…wonder how long it'll take to corrupt her.'_ "Don't worry about it, Rias. Now, can you tell me-" A sudden rustle of foliage and Naruto instantly shot his fingers out towards the direction of the sound, directly behind him. Ten lightning fast little white bullets streaked towards the origin of the noise, resulting in a muffled curse as the person hiding within the vegetation was forced to abandon his position.

Flinging himself out of the bushes as fast as he could, the stranger rolled across the field to avoid the barrage. Sensing an attack from above, the stranger gripped the sword secured by his side and unsheathed it instantly, the blade screaming towards the approaching attack in an attempt to parry the blow.

CLANG!

Blade met bone in a shower of sparks. The stranger's eyes widened in shock at the boy's descending leg, which had been halted by his blade; sharpened bones jutted out of his limb like a deranged nightmare come to life, the moonlight reflecting off the sharpened edge like silver light.

Likewise, Naruto took the opportunity to properly take in the man's appearance; he wore the traditional Shisengumi uniform, which consisted of a haori and hakama over a kimono, with a white cord called a tasuki crossed over the chest and tied in the back. The haori was coloured light blue, one of Japan's traditional colours, and the sleeves were trimmed with light mountain stripes. He looked like he was in his early twenties, but Naruto didn't really care.

Like a shark targeting a defenseless human, Naruto struck within that small window of opportunity. A black rod, with the end of it sharpened and pointed like a blade, shot out of his thigh and stabbed the man right in his stomach with blinding speed. As the man stiffened at the unexpected attack, Naruto channeled his potent chakra through the chakra rod.

Lightning surged through the man, glowing bright like a blue streak of light as it tore through the man's defenses and attacked his flesh with animalistic eagerness. The man's screams, coupled with the chirping sounds of the lightning attack, drowned out every other sound in the area including Rias' cry for him to stop.

Kicking the shocked man away and simultaneously creating some distance between them, the chakra rod slid smoothly back into his body as Naruto formed a single hand-sign whilst leaping backwards. As the chakra within him surged towards his throat, he briefly wondered if he was being too impulsive; using this particular jutsu would create a fine mess of a forest fire, one he would have to clean up, and possibly endanger Rias by alerting possible reinforcements of those two about their location.

Of course, those concerns were minimal at best, so he decided to carry on with his attack. Besides, the stranger was making it almost too easy for him; he was still bouncing along the ground from the 'Chidori Koken' (One Thousand Birds Sword) and was still too frazzled and disoriented to put up any resistance. Of course, things would've been even easier if he had just used his Time-Space abilities, but that would be more overkill than Naruto was willing to go. _'Fuck the consequences. Katon: Goka Mekkakyu! (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)'_ A massive wall of flames was expelled from his mouth, covering an expansive range of land and setting everything in its path ablaze. Everything burned as the flames spread through the area, taking any and all life that was unfortunate enough to be in its way. The stranger's pain-filled scream made a smile creep up on his face. _'Ah, the sound of someone burning horribly to death…takes me back to my childhood.'_

A distressed sob broke his little daydream. Turning around, Naruto blanched as he saw Rias staring at the burning wall of fire with tears dripping down her face and the most pathetic/cute expression on her face. _'Huh…wonder what kind of face she'll make if I take it further…' _He banished the thought from his head, suppressing the inner-sadist that was a part of him. "Why are you crying about now?" He asked, his tone intentionally annoyed and harsh.

Rias turned to him with tearful eyes, looking just like someone had killed her puppy in a brutal, Satanic ritual. "You…You killed Souji-san." As though her admission made the death of the stranger more real, her waterworks upgraded from a trickle to a waterfall. "You killed Onii-chan's Knight, Souji-kun!"

Naruto scratched his head as he watched the girl cry profusely. A part of him wanted to watch her cry some more, but he really couldn't have her acting like this. Like a friend, he would have to try and comfort her. Sighing audibly, the redhead boy pulled her into a hug and awkwardly began to pat her back. "There, there. It's going to be alright Rias." He said, trying to calm her down quietly.

The smaller girl shook her head angrily, even within the confines of his embrace as she continued to cry. "No! It's not going to be alright!" Her voice softened as she continued, her shaking reduced to mere trembles now. "Because I wasn't fast enough to tell you about him, you went and killed Souji-san like you said you'd do to my enemies. Now, Onii-chan will punish you, and it will be all my fault because I-"

"You do know that he's not dead, right?" Naruto smoothly interrupted, his eyes lazily flickering towards the area where the swordsman was last seen. Just as he expected, the man was sitting at the same place he was, clutching his charred and blackened right leg within the safety of a hastily constructed, yet still reasonably strengthened barrier. Judging by the injury he had sustained, Naruto connected the dots and realized that the man had thrown the barrier up by the time the flames had reached his kneecaps.

Rias stiffened and her eyes shot up to meet his own, tears still glistening within them. "Eh?"

Naruto pointed at the hunched figure lying a few feet away from them. Rias followed the direction of his finger and gasped at the sight of the friendly man who introduced her to the wonderful world of anime and manga. Tearing herself from Naruto's grip, the little girl darted towards the elder man. "SOUJI-KUN!"

The man, Souji, snapped his head up and looked gob smacked at the sight of the little girl running towards him with outstretched hands. Quickly dispelling the barrier, Souji smiled as she tackled him with a flying hug and squeezed for all she was worth. "Ojou-sama, it is very relieving to see that you are unharmed and well."

Watching the two interact from afar, Naruto shrugged and settled down into a comfortable position on the ground. Closing his right eye, the boy glanced towards his left and grinned. There, hidden behind a powerful illusion was someone else, who seemed to be studying him intensely. From what his eye could see, the person was another male and felt much older than Souji. "So…are you going to stare at me like that the whole time?" Naruto asked, catching the man's stiffening. "I mean, wouldn't it be more productive to appear and interact with me before deciding whether or not I am a threat to Rias?"

There was a moment of silence before an aged voice filled with amused surprise spoke. "Well, I suppose I am getting quite complacent if a child such as yourself is able to detect me." The illusion dropped, revealing an aged man wearing a ceremonial robe and staff. He peered at Naruto through his glasses. "And what may I call you, young one?"

Naruto eyed the old man before him appraisingly. There was something familiar about the old man… "Call me Naruto, old man. Who might you be, old timer?"

The man chuckled at the terms being flung his way. "Well, my name is McGregor Mathers, a Bishop of Rias-sama's brother." Tapping his staff against the ground, a magic circle appeared at the spot and a wooden chair rose from it. Gingerly sitting down on the simple construct, MacGregor sighed in content. "Ah, it's been a while since I've had time to rest these weary old bones."

Naruto watched him from the corner of his eyes, still trying to figure out why the old man beside him felt somewhat familiar. Shrugging the feeling off, he switched his gaze to Souji and Rias. "So, you and that guy over there were looking for her, huh?" He questioned. With how familiar Rias was with them, as well as the fact that he couldn't really detect any negative emotions from the old man, he wouldn't really be able to justify an attack upon them again.

Besides, if they did turn out to be the reinforcements for the other two, he'd be more than happy to get some more exercise in. His mind began to discretely plot various ways to dispose of the two, with each suggestion becoming increasingly elaborate and brutal. _'I could trap the old man with Tsukuyomi (Moon Reader) the minute he makes eye contact and force his body to stop breathing, Shunshin (Body Flicker) over to Souji and decapacitate him and make my escape with Rias. Or, I could bind them with my Kage Mane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Jutsu) and punch holes in their hearts with the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) finger bullets. Of course, the simplest thing to do would be to stop time, grab Rias and leave but what's the fun in that?'_

McGregor, fortunately unaware of the twisted plotting brewing in the young boy's mind, nodded at Naruto's question. "Yes, we are. Now, whilst Souji-kun just arrived recently and was unable to witness you protect Ojou-sama, I managed to arrive just in time to see you bind Sebastian Michaelis." Seeing the boy's look, he hastened to clear the confusion. "The one in the butler getup. He is a member of the Phantomhive Clan, the Bishop Piece of Lord Phantomhive, and a reputed practitioner of mental arts. Honestly, I'm happy you were able to save Rias before he could unleash his more fearsome spell on her." He thanked.

Naruto shrugged. "To be honest, I doubt he would've gone through the trouble of breaking her mind."

McGregor blinked. "And what makes you say that?" He questioned, watching Naruto with keen eyes.

Naruto cocked his head and launched into an explanation. "It was a simple assassination mission; they were supposed to get in, capture Rias and kill her somewhere she would never be found. For this reason, I doubt that this Sebastian would've gone through the long and tedious task of breaking her mind before killing her, especially given the fact that remarkably skilled members of the Gremory Clan would be dispatched to find and retrieve her." Taking a moment to glance back at Rias, who was helping Souji bandage his wounded leg, he continued his explanation. "Additionally, killing Rias at a place far away from the Gremory lands gives those behind this some leverage over the Gremory. For instance, had they taken Rias to the human world, she could've been dead and her captors would just say that she's been hidden somewhere else. That way, the Gremory Clan would have to play along with the demands whilst wasting resources on a wild goose chase."

McGregor nodded slowly, his hands scratching his beard absentmindedly. "That is indeed a perceptive assessment of the situation…which brings the question of who you really are." Studying the boy's strange eyes, McGregor frowned thoughtfully as an idea popped into his head. Taking a quick glance at the cave nearby, he asked. "Are you perhaps residing in this area?"

Naruto withheld the smirk that wanted to make an appearance. _'Such a fool…'_ "Yes. Believe it or not, this is actually my place of refuge that I stay in from time to time." Gesturing towards the cave, carefully keeping his left hand out of McGregor's sight, Naruto let his chakra flow and shape the image he had within his mind. As McGregor turned towards the cave entrance, he blinked as he saw the empty cavern ripple and distort until it revealed a large wooden door.

Turning to the smirking boy, he fought down his apprehension and nodded. "Impressive." No, it wasn't impressive, it was terrifying. This child was certainly more than he appeared to be; not only was he capable of defeating Sebastian Michaelis, despite the latter's reduced strength, but he was capable of crafting illusions that even McGregor couldn't identify without actively searching for them. Eyeing the redhead, he made a note to inform Sirzechs-sama about the strange abilities the boy wielded.

The conversation was interrupted by the approach of Rias and Souji, who was hobbling along using his sword as a makeshift crutch. "Naruto, Souji-kun is all right!" Rias said, running up to him and gesturing wildly towards the limping Souji.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I can clearly see that." He said, his dry tone making her chuckle nervously. Facing the limping man, he raised a brow. "Hey dipshit, you alright?"

Souji just stared at him whilst Rias and McGregor blinked at his language. "I have a busted right leg, got beaten by a mere child like it was a walk in the park and the first thing you ask me is if I'm alright?"

Naruto shrugged. "Hey, for all I know you could have some hidden regeneration powers and are just using this opportunity to make a five-year old girl fawn all over you." He smiled at the horrified looks on the elder males whilst Rias just looked confused.

After a moment of shocked silence, Souji just sighed heavily, muttering about how it wasn't worth getting beat up to try and throttle the redhead male. "Anyway, thank you for saving Ojou-sama. Had anything happened to her, I fear that the wrath of the Gremory Clan and Sirzechs-sama would've sparked another civil war." He bowed, somehow managing to make it seem graceful despite the makeshift crutch getting in his way.

Naruto resisted the urge to kick his head off.

McGregor stood up from his chair and stepped forward, earning their collective attention. "Well, why don't you come along with us to the Gremory Castle? I'm sure Sirzechs-sama and Lord Gremory will be happy to hear about your contribution and willing to compensate you for your troubles."

Souji turned to look at Naruto, his eyes considering the proposal and Naruto felt another smile creeping over his face. He wouldn't have to use Genjutsu on this guy after all! "Well, that would indeed be the honorable thing to do in this situation." Souji said as he thought it over. _'Of course, there is the off chance that he has some ulterior motives, but I doubt that McGregor-san would suggest such an action if he was underhanded…'_

As she stared at the quietly conversing pair of elder males and the satisfied gleam that appeared every once in a while on Naruto's eyes, she wondered just how her life would be from now on.

**-Gremory Castle-**

Back in the castle, the tension was still prevalent in the atmosphere; Sirzechs and Lord Gremory still paced about the room, their bodies as taunt as a drawn bow. Grayfia had reappeared shortly after she left, stating that Ajuka had given his consent to let his apprentice aid them on their investigation. After delivering her message, she then went back to working in Sirzechs' office, letting him know that she would take care of his work for the day. Venelana Gremory had taken to staring out at the window to pass the time, her hands playing with the bracelet on her arm.

Minutes passed far too slowly for the trio. The tick-tock sound of the grandfather clock in the room did little to calm their nerves. Finally, just as Sirzechs was about to start another rant, a magical circle appeared within the center of the room.

Each of them snapped their heads towards the crimson circle, their eyes eager with equal measures of hope and anxiety. When the group materialized from the circle, all three of the most powerful Devils rushed towards the little girl standing in the center of the group.

"Rias!"

"Ria-tan!"

"Musume!"

These three cries were uttered by Lord Gremory, Sirzechs and Lady Gremory respectively as they literally engulfed the little member of the family in a sea of hugs. The group soon degenerated into a sobbing mess of hugs, tears, some wails and generally semi-amusing displays of affection.

Naruto, Souji and McGregor watched the display with varying reactions: Naruto had a large sweat-drop on his head, watching the dramatic display of affection with bemusement. McGregor just smiled at the family, understanding what they had gone through and happy that they hadn't suffered the same fate as his elder brother's family. Souji sighed, yet had a pleased smile on his face as he watched the Gremory family.

After a few moments, Sirzechs was the first to come out of his stupor and straightened up towards the others. Turning to his Evil Pieces, he arched a brow when his eyes noticed the small redhead boy eyeing him shrewdly. "Souji-kun, McGregor-kun, many thanks for your hard work. I can't even imagine what I would've done had my darling little sister been hurt." He blinked and concern spread over his face. "Souji-kun, what happened to your leg?" He asked, gesturing towards the swordsman's wrapped leg.

His question grabbed the attention of Lord and Lady Gremory, and they watched as Souji shot a brief glance towards Naruto. "Sirzechs-sama, that wound was a result of my own actions and misunderstandings between me and Rias' protector here." He gestured towards Naruto.

The boy waved cheekily at the dumbfounded adults. "Yo. I'm Uchiha Naruto, nice to meet you." He greeted, winking at them like they were his peers.

Venelana turned towards Rias, whom she had placed upon her lap, and asked, "Rias, is it true that he saved you?"

Rias nodded, scrambling off her mother's lap to stand in front of Naruto. Spreading her arms like she was defending him from a killing curse, she mustered the fiercest protective face she could make towards her family. "Hai, Naruto saved me from Sebastian and that other man before Souji-kun and McGregor-san appeared. Kaa-chan, Tou-chan, Onii-chan…without Naruto to help me back there, I would've died back there. He risked his life to protect mine, so at least allow him to live with us!" She shouted, glistening tears adding to the overall cuteness of her appearance.

Naruto was seriously contemplating banging his head against the nearest wall. _'Of all the audacious…daddy's girl or not, they're not going to give in so easily-'_

"Ah…very well, I suppose I could have the servants clean up the guest room and have it hospitable by tonight." Naruto gawped at Lord Gremory, who was scratching his goatee with nary a care in the world. He paused, turning towards his wife. "Venelana, do we still have Sirzechs' old clothes and accessories around? This young man looks like he would fit them well."

Venelana nodded, a motherly smile sent towards the disbelieving Naruto. "Yes, I do believe we have some of Sirzechs' hand-me-downs around for him to wear, at least for the night. After all, without his help we wouldn't have Rias here safe and sound."

Sirzechs nodded sagely, his Evil Pieces looking at him strangely. "Hai, hai…Uchiha-san, once again I thank you for protecting my darling little sister. As a reward, it would be my honor to welcome you into the Gremory family." He declared exuberantly.

Naruto gave him a look that spoke very clearly of his feelings towards the elder male. "Are you guys really that okay with letting some random stranger you literally just met into your abode?" His tone was disbelieving, borderline rude and Sirzechs chuckled.

"Oh, make no mistake, Naruto-san. If I had any misgivings about you, I would've put my foot down the very instant Ria-tan made her demand." Naruto saw the girl blush at being caught and rolled his eyes. "Besides, Ria-tan seems to like you as a friend and I think it would be a great experience for both of you." Seeing that Naruto still wasn't convinced, the newest Lucifer sighed extravagantly and crossed his arms. "Come on! At the very least, let us take care of you so that Rias won't be sad without you!"

Naruto sighed and rubbed his forehead. Whilst he had known that he would be accepted amongst them, he had expected them to be hostile or wary towards him for at least three days. _'Then again, the Gremory family I dealt with back then was involved in war during that period. Now that they have a stable government, thriving conditions and some semblance of peace I suppose it shouldn't be so strange they are quick to the trigger…still, something feels off about this.' _"Alright, fine. I guess I don't have a choice." He grumbled. Things may have worked out for him, but it was still too early to breathe easy.

A hug from Rias had him sighing once more. "Come on, I'll show you where your room will be!" She chirped, grabbing his hand and taking off towards the bedrooms, dragging Naruto forcefully.

The moment both children left, Lord Gremory turned to his wife and son. "You all felt it, didn't you?" He said, making sure to lower his voice as much as he could.

Sirzechs nodded, watching the door with narrowed eyes. "Hai…that incredible amount of chakra he has. It's almost as much as that of Ajuka's apprentice…and I believe that is only a fraction of what he is capable of."

Venelana frowned. "Are you sure he has that much, Sirzechs?"

Her son nodded. "Definitely. As such, it is imperative that we do not alienate him and keep him within the Gremory family. Chakra-users are so rare that if any of the other families catch wind of him, things could turn ugly. Plus, we already have our hands full with finding out whoever was behind this kidnapping incident." Rubbing his aching head, Sirzechs continued. "Besides, with the sudden spotlight we've thrown on him, I can have members of my Peerage as well as our formidable servants keep an eye on him in case he attempts anything."

Lord Gremory nodded. "Keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. Nice."

However, as they conversed, none of them noticed a small fly burst into a puff of smoke.

**A/N: Yeah, Akeno comes in the next chapter. I've got a whole adventure thing planned out for her, which is why this chapter was split into two. **

**Rias' assimilation process begins next chapter; like I said before, Naruto will grant Rias abilities that he feels are necessary for her survival. Also, he's not going to do the same for her Peerage; unless she explicitly tells him to bestow an ability to, say, Issei he won't do jack shit about it.**

**Now, I have decided that there will be six Lost Legends, with two of them already partnered with Devils. I'm withdrawing my statement of giving Sona a partner, since that would give the Devils the upper hand. So, Heaven gets three, the Fallen Angels get one and the Khaos Brigade gets Naruto's rival. If you have any suggestions for the characters, let me know and I'll see what I can do.**

**My decision regarding the harem will be to add Sona and Xenovia ONLY. I was gonna add Ophis, but she relates to Naruto better as a close friend than a lover. I've also been thinking about another Naruto/Highschool DxD crossover; a fic where Naruto is the son of one of the original Satans and an Archangel and the wielder of Albion…so basically, replacing Vali. The pairing would be Naruto/Kuroka/Kushina/Mikoto/Yasaka. What do you guys think?**

**Read and Review!**

**MaelstromBankai. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Highschool DxD. I do not own Masashi Kishimoto. I do not own Ishibumi Ichiei. I do not own Japan. Yet.**

**Chapter 3: Along Came a Sadist-Part 2**

Many years had passed since the eventful kidnapping of the Gremory heiress, something that still rankled all the members of the family deeply. To them, it was a grim reminder of how close they were to losing the next heiress of the Gremory Clan as well as just how complacent their security and edge had become as a result of the fragile peace they enjoyed. To Lord and Lady Gremory especially, the kidnapping had made them identify a fact they had been reluctant to admit.

The Gremory Clan was slowly losing what prestige and power it initially had. An event such as the kidnapping wouldn't have happened had the mindset and capabilities of the Clan been like that of their ancestors. This is what they had thought about during the wait for news on their daughter in the castle; when they learned of the young and powerful chakra user who had saved their daughter, Sirzechs had seized the initiative to secure more power for the Clan and they had followed up on it as best as they could.

Each time they thought of that particular event, there were always mixed feelings from both parties. As already acknowledged, the kidnapping was a show of incompetence, shame and complacency; it showed that the Gremory Clan was losing power. However, the kidnapping had led them towards Naruto, a prodigious user of chakra, and opened their eyes towards their weaknesses. It had taught them a very valuable lesson, one which they were in no hurry to forget.

Five long years had passed since then; five years of unexpected liveliness that had not existed since Sirzechs' time in the Gremory Castle. It was a stark change from the quiet, formal and dull atmosphere that the castle had exuded before the kidnapping; the halls, once silent throughout the day, now bustled with liveliness and energy that only existed during Sirzechs' time as a child. The servants had become more talkative, more casual and more diligent in their work. Rias was almost always bustling about with Naruto by her side, the happy look on her face a constant that everyone delighted in.

That, and Sirzechs' Peerage gained a new sparring partner. One that could dish out much more than they were used to taking. It was actually amusing, frightening and pleasing that Rias' new friend, the newest member of the House of Gremory, was capable of keeping up and, in some cases, outmaneuvering the more experienced individuals that made up the Peerage of Sirzechs Lucifer. Amusing, because it wasn't everyday that Lord and Lady Gremory saw the distinguished members of their son find themselves hard-pressed to best a boy less than a decade old. Naruto was frightening, because his feats spoke much about his strength and the thought of how much stronger he would become as he grew. It was also pleasing to them, because it reflected that their decision to include him in their ranks was a good one.

The young redhead, however, was currently lying in bed, staring at the ceiling with an expression that skirted close to exasperation. His tomoe spun lazily as he lay in the darkness of the morning, the peace and quiet atmosphere a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle the day brought. It was times like these that he enjoyed; with no one to bother him, no one to interrupt his work and the peaceful stillness that the silence brought soothed his soul and helped him think. He glanced over to his right, his eyes gaining a slightly deadpan look whilst he turned towards the girl nuzzling his arm.

Rias Gremory had certainly grown up; the beautiful crimson locks that once reached her shoulders now cascaded down her back, fanning out around her like rivers of blood on the white linen. Her body had gotten taller, though she was still four inches shorter than Naruto, and one could tell that she had started maturing into a woman. When she shuffled in her sleep, moving from her left side to her right side, Naruto caught sight of her chest; like her mother, Rias started going through puberty at the age of nine and already had noticeable breasts. They weren't large after all, she had just started maturing; however, it was noticeable to those that saw her that she had breasts. As his gaze drifted further south, Naruto made note of the widening of her hips and the hard to make-out patch of pubic hair over her sex. At the moment, she was deeply asleep and he squashed the urge to tickle her.

As his eyes roved her body, his mind went back to the vial of blood he was keeping in his pocket dimension. Ever since he had captured the Phenex involved in Rias' kidnapping, Naruto had taken to tinkering and experimenting with the body every moment he had. Of course, he had to first reacquaint himself with the intricacies of Ketton (Blood Release) as well as brush up his knowledge on Devil physiology before attempting his little experiments. Brushing a lock of hair from Rias' face, he frowned thoughtfully. _'I doubt that she really needs the Phenex power over flames…the only ability she would benefit from would be their impressive regenerative powers. That way, I wouldn't have to look after her all the time and she'd be able to gain more experience in battle.'_

Bringing his right hand, the one that was free, towards his face, he let his chakra gather towards his thumb and a small black flame flickered into existence. Focusing on the flame, Naruto willed the fire to bend and morph into various shapes; he made it transform into a small scythe, a sword, a spear, a gun and various other weapons that he had spent his time wielding. _'I'll have to start implementing the Phenex blood into her soon,'_ he thought, gently stroking her skin. _'If I wait too long, I'll need to obtain another fresh sample to perform the assimilation…I suppose I could find a use for the flame control, but I doubt I need an even higher affinity for fire.'_

Letting the flame dissipate into nothing, Naruto sighed deeply as he shifted towards his left side. It was a bit awkward, considering the fact that Rias still had his hand clutched firmly, but he was able to manage. Looking down at the sleeping girl, he wondered when exactly she started sleeping in the nude. Ever since the first night he spent in Gremory Castle, she made him sleep in her room with her and she always slept in the nude. When he questioned her about it, all she did was shrug and say, _'I dunno. I just can't sleep unless I don't have clothes on.'_

It wasn't normal, even for Devils, to have such a quirk especially at a young age…then again, Gremory Devils often came out with certain eccentrics that boggled the minds of others, so perhaps he shouldn't be thinking too much about it.

Closing his eyes in an effort to get some rest, Naruto wondered how soon this peaceful lifestyle would change. After all, he needed to keep his edge sharp and going about this as he currently was wouldn't help him.

**-The Next Day-**

When Rias first felt the stirrings of consciousness, she valiantly tried to cling unto the warmth and comfort of sleep. After five minutes of fruitlessly fighting to stay asleep, a shifting movement from her side roused her from her state of sleep. Cracking an eye open, she was met with the usual sight of Naruto staring at her intently, his bangs obscuring his right eye.

A tired yawn forced its way out of her, unknowingly pushing up her breasts. "Good morning…" She greeted, her voice reflecting just how badly she wanted to go back to sleep. "What are you still doing in bed?" She asked, pulling her pillow closer to her body. "You're usually up earlier than this."

Naruto blinked once and shrugged. "No particular reason, I suppose. Besides, fighting with Souji has become monotonous and dull; McGregor isn't around to help alleviate my boredom, Beowulf is so pathetically easy to deal with that I'll get even more bored and Grayfia isn't around for me to tease." He grumbled. "As such, I think I'm going to spend my day with you…despite how unproductive I know it will be." He dryly said, arching a brow at her.

Rias pouted angrily. "Anime is not a waste of time, dummy! It is the very essence of the youth to partake in such an activity, to allow their souls to experience the wisdom and experiences of the characters, passed down by various animators and mangaka." She defended, even going so far as to sit up properly and glare at him.

Naruto yawned and sat up as well, causing the white sheets covering his body to slip off. Taking a moment to stretch himself, he missed the blush that appeared on Rias' face. "Yeah, you say that yet I happened to notice the rather ecchi anime episodes of To Love-Ru you watch with disturbing fascination." Cracking his neck, Naruto hopped out of the bed and began to walk towards the bathroom. "I'm gonna go take a shower." He said, grabbing his light green towel from the nearby rack and shutting the door behind him.

When she was sure he had left the room, Rias gulped and placed a hand against her chest. _'My heart's pounding…'_ Her hands soon moved from her chest to her face, feeling the increased heat rushing through her cheeks. _'Why…am I feeling this way?'_ Setting both hands to the bed, she tried to identify the foreign and strange feeling in her chest; at the moment, it felt like something was constricting it but the sensation wasn't as…uncomfortable as that. If anything, the feeling was akin to that of the sensation of plunging through the sky yet was strangely pleasant to her.

In that moment when Naruto's body had been exposed, her mind had literally shut down and did nothing but stare at the sight of his bare chest. He usually slept with soft and comfortable sleepwear, ever since he began living with her that to see him exposed like that just made him look…cooler? She wasn't sure exactly what he had become, but it made her pay more attention to him. Also, looking at Naruto at that moment, she now understood why he was so serious with training; despite being only eleven years old, he was far more muscled and ripped than she had expected (she would later describe him to be as muscled as Gohan from Dragon Ball). In her opinion, he looked manlier than her brother ever had.

The blush on her face lingered on as she slowly got out of bed, crossing over to her own closet. As she opened it, she still felt the loudly thumping beat of her heart. Reaching out for an outfit to wear for the day, she resolved to have a talk with her mother. Watching and learning of these things from anime was one thing, experiencing it firsthand was something completely different from what she had expected.

**-Gremory Dining Area-**

Breakfast was a somewhat subdued affair that particular morning for the Gremory family; Lord Gremory was absent, away on a business trip with Lord Sitri to the Human World to oversee the progress of the school they had constructed in Kuoh as well as discuss various other matters regarding their Clans. With the most conversant individual away from the family, that left Lady Gremory, Rias and Naruto to dine at the table, resulting in the quiet atmosphere surrounding the family as they ate.

Sitting at the head of the table, as opposed to the seat beside her husband, Venelana sipped her orange juice quietly as she read a letter delivered by her daughter-in-law from Sirzechs. It contained various details he and Ajuka's apprentice had managed to discover regarding that kidnapping incident five years ago. Throughout the five years, the various individuals behind the action were exposed in varying ways yet there were still a group of two strays at large. From what she read, Sirzechs had managed to narrow their location to a large human settlement just off towards the east of Tokyo and was planning on mobilizing a small group to capture and detain them by the end of the day.

Glancing up from her reading, the beautiful Devil arched a brow when she saw her daughter eating her food steadily and slowly whilst keeping her eyes pointedly on her food. Every once in a while, she'd glance towards her best friend with a surprising look and quickly focus on her food once again with a small but noticeable blush on her cheeks. It was strange for her to see Rias acting like this; for one, the girl ate rather quickly in order to get ready for whatever activity she had planned for the day. Secondly, the looks that she kept sending Naruto were very familiar…

Her lips twitched as she discretely watched the male's reaction; he was calmly getting through his meal in silence, occasionally taking a moment to tap a particular spot on the table. As opposed to Rias, who clearly had Naruto on her mind, Naruto was deep in thought with an impassive mask on his face. Venelana didn't know what had the young chakra-user thinking so deeply, but it was amusing to her to see her daughter try to catch his eye only for her subtle messages to be ignored. _'Just like Sirzechs…Perhaps I should have a little chat with Rias today.'_

Making a mental note to do that before the end of the day, Venelana went back to reading the letter with another sip of juice. However, she didn't notice Naruto's eyes lock unto the letter before narrowing thoughtfully.

Rias frowned as she watched Naruto, her eyes hidden by the loose bangs of her hair. She lifted her eyes from the plate in front of her and turned them towards Naruto. As usual, he was in his own world at the moment and was barely paying attention to his food.

Like a sprung trap, the feeling from before resurfaced within her heart and the girl tried her best not to squeak. Tucking her head back down, Rias wondered what was wrong with her. _'Am I sick? I mean, I feel fine but every time I look at him, I just…'_ Sneaking another look at the boy, her eyes widened as she found herself locking eyes with him. The two stared at each other for a moment, before Naruto arched a brow.

The feelings from before returned with double the intensity, causing Rias to undergo profuse blushing and break eye-contact. Tilting her head to make her red locks hide her face, she clenched her fists and furiously stabbed at her food.

Naruto frowned as he pondered some more on the question of when he was going to begin Rias' assimilation of the Phenex powers of regeneration. It would have to be done soon, possibly within the week in order to allow her to harness and develop those new abilities in a controlled environment. _'The best time to do this would be on a day she is free, most likely two days from now. After that, I'll have to run some tests on her to make sure she doesn't experience any negative side-effects.'_

Even if Rias did experience any negative effects from the assimilation, he still had _**that**_ to help reverse the damage done. He smirked at the thought of _**that**_. _'Heh…it's been a while since I used __**it**__. Wonder how my 'eternal rival' and __**that weapon**__ are doing…'_

Plotting out a convenient day for the operation to be held, Naruto smiled to himself as he finished the last pieces of his meal. His eyes flickered back once again to the letter clasped in Venelana's hands, his curiousity rising at what information it could be containing. His left hand shifted into a one-handed seal, hidden by the positioning of the tablecloth, and a small flying insect slipped out of his sleeve, silently darting over to Venelana's side and settle on her locks.

As opposed to most of the jutsu in his arsenal, this particular technique was a favorite of his and one that he had managed to shorten to only a half-seal. It had been particularly useful during his siege on the Underworld, allowing him access to sensitive information with none of the Devils discovering how he managed to hit them where it hurt the most during the Great War.

Pushing his plate forwards, Naruto let himself rest in his seat for a while. It would his little spy approximately five minutes to relay all the information that it managed to retrieve, so he could afford to chill out for a few moments. Leaning back with a pleased sigh, he waited patiently for his little bug to report back to him.

Across the table, pouting angrily each time her eye caught his form for some inexplicable reason, Rias made a mental note to stab the hand-made Naruto doll she had received from Grayfia.

**-Yokohama, One Hour Later-**

The streets of Yokohama were pleasant, Naruto admitted as he strolled through the crowd. Wearing black pants that clung to his form, a red undershirt with black flame markings on it and a fitted black jacket that was open at the chest, he stuck out in the crowd. A face mask obstructed the lower portion of his face from view whilst black arm-guards that covered his forearms, hidden from view by the jacket.

His eyes were under a Genjutsu to avoid any odd looks from random observers as well as to prevent any supernatural being from discovering his return; now the violet eyes of his mother, the redhead was pretty confident that very few individuals would be able to detect and break through his illusion. Maneuvering his way through the crowd, he paused at a nearby clothing store and pretended to gaze at the mannequins.

Taking a discrete sniff of the air, the redhead wrinkled his nose at the foul scent he was getting from the western sector of the city. _'It seems that this is where the two Strays are…'_ Cutting across to a nearby alley, the boy took to the sky in a single bound. Activating the flight technique he learned from mastering the Kekkei Tota Dust Release, Naruto took off in the direction of the scents. He wasn't particularly mindful of the crowd; he was moving so fast that only the most observant people in the crowd would notice something moving in the skies. Even if they did see his silhouette, they would all pass it off as a large bird flying about.

**-Unknown Location-**

Within the city of Yokohama, at the western outskirts of the city, two strange beings were staring out the window of an abandoned building. One of them, a male from his muscular figure, sighed heavily at the sight of the city and crossed his arms nervously. "Are you sure this will work? You said that he's even stronger than 'King' but shouldn't he have been de-aged? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that mean he's weaker than he was all those years ago?" He asked, glancing sideways to the shorter figure standing beside him.

The man was a very tall and muscular teen with blue-grey eyes. His hair was slicked back, its numerous spiky strands pointing backwards, though some of it fell down on his forehead. He had a distinctive lightning bolt-shaped scar on his right eye, sported dark lines circling his eyes, with each of them possessing a single, prominent eyelash jutting outwards. He donned an orange tunic with spots reminiscent of a leopard's on the shoulders and sides, with dark-lined sleeves reaching down below his elbows, and fur on the lower edges. He sported a bright red cape, tied on the front with a garish knot, which bore a large symbol on the back, and loose, baggy dark pants tucked inside light metal greaves. Around his waist was a simple belt to which he attached the device linked to his headphones.He also had a small chain tied around his right wrist.

His companion was a female, though it was hard to determine her age. She wore form fitting black pants with a purple cloth tied around her waist and a navy shirt that snugly held her large chest in place. A long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat with red lining draped over her and opened at her chest. Held together by three 'x' shaped marks, the coat flared out into a number of ragged coattails. She had shoulder-length purple hair and red eyes that were hidden by the hood of her coat.

The female huffed irritably, lifting her head slightly to level a glare on the teen. "Say what you want, I know Naruto-kun. He'll be here, and he'll hear us out." Turning back to the window, her glare softened. "To answer your other question, Naruto-kun is…special. Normally, when one undergoes a regression in age a large portion of their skills have to be learned once again, since their youthful bodies are unable to cope with the stress that comes with the more advanced skills. Also, they lose much of their strength, speed, agility and various other attributes that they enjoyed under their adult bodies." She crossed her hands, unknowingly pushing her large breasts together and making them even more noticeable underneath her coat. "Naruto-kun, on the other hand, retained all his skills and abilities through means I am unaware of. No one, not even the Red Devil herself knows what he did to achieve that…"

The male turned to gape at her. "Wait a minute; you're saying that not even you, the Professor, People Remodeler and Black White don't know how he did that?"

She nodded, her eyes drifting towards a nearby shrine. "Yeah, shocking isn't it? Now sit tight, he'll be here soon."

**-Western Outskirts of Yokohama-**

Landing on a tall tree with ease, Naruto paused as he caught a scent he hadn't expected to be here. Eyes narrowing, the redhead glanced towards the abandoned school up ahead. It was an old building, one that would soon be scheduled for demolition and there wasn't any indication that there was anything extraordinary about the place.

He cupped his chin and nestled himself against the tree, minimizing his profile and avoiding any possible lookout from detecting him. _'Okay, how are those two here? Weren't they out in the far West last time?'_ Frowning, Naruto opened his senses towards the old building and grimaced. He could definitely feel them in there; they were on the topmost floor, standing beside the window. _'She definitely knows I'm here, sneaking in is pretty much useless. It looks like they're expecting me, so I suppose I could let a Moku Bunshin(Wood Clone) speak with them whilst I go deal with the strays.'_

Crouching low on the branch, Naruto blinked and three clones were crouching beside him. Looking at the closest one, he nodded twice and sped off towards the shrine that reeked of the foul scent he was after. As he dashed towards the other building, he formed a hand-sign and channeled the chakra. Had he glanced behind him, he would've seen the wood from the tree suddenly change to become flesh in such a smooth transition that within moments an exact replica of the redhead appeared.

As the clones entered the school, the original continued towards the shrine.

A few moments later, Naruto stopped in front of the shrine gates and wrinkled his nose. _'No doubt about it; the two strays are here.'_ Taking in an even deeper breath, his brows furrowed. _'Two other people are in there…both with human and supernatural blood flowing through them.'_ The breeze picked up, allowing him to glean more from their scents. _'A Human-Fallen Angel hybrid as well as a Yuki-Onna/Human Halfling, both nearing puberty…how interesting.'_

He began to walk through the gates, sliding past them without a sound as he made his way across the property. From the lack of care the land was suffering from, it looked like the shrine was also abandoned; the lawn had spiraled out of control, the various decorations were old and weathered, even the land itself gave off a somber and unused atmosphere.

Slipping through the walls and sneaking past the rooms was easy; Kamui, one of his favorite jutsu, helped immensely as he navigated his way through the grounds, moving through anything and everything unimpeded. Of course, he had to be careful whenever he materialized from a wall; he didn't want to step out right in front of the two strays- that would be an embarrassment for him to make such a rookie mistake.

As he slipped through another wall, a shout from the room ahead made him grin darkly; the scent was strongest there. _'Well, well, well…two for the price of one, how nice.'_ Peering down the corridor, he nodded when he caught sight of a darkened spot. Silently making his way past the doors, Naruto huddled within the dark areas.

Gathering and focusing chakra into his eyes, he smirked as he felt the transition from his basic Sharingan to its Mangekyo state. "Kamui."

An explosion occurred.

**A/N: Okay, here is the real chapter 3. I would've had this up earlier, but I got sucked into Bakemonogatari…and I wonder how I never discovered that anime earlier. Anyways, the next chapter will feature a time-skip, starting with Akeno recollecting her encounter with Naruto and deals with the integration of Issei into Rias' Peerage. Note that Riser will make an appearance as well…and I'm sure you'll like what I'm going to do with him.**

**Now, school starts on Monday so this is most likely my last update for a good while. I'll try to get an update out as soon as possible, but I can't make any promises.**

**I know I've basically told you two other Lost Legends in this chapter, but at least you guys don't know which Factions they are working with so it works out. Any thoughts on the latest chapters of Naruto, Bleach and Fairy Tail? Let me know how you all felt about them-I have an idea of incorporating them into my fics, so please respond.**

**Now, I've finished my list of 2014 stories that I'm going to publish; the Naruto/Infinite Stratos, Naruto/Mirai Nikki, and Naruto/Bakemonogatari crossovers that I've thought up (there aren't any really good ones there). I'll start with the last one and work my way to the first one; I know you guys say I should focus on the stories I have now, but my mind is a fickle thing and sometimes doing that makes it even harder to update my older fics.**

**Anyways, enjoy this and have a Happy New Year!**

**MaelstromBankai.**


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